Passing Fancy
by dontmakemeatarget
Summary: "AU: A few years before coming to Storybrooke, Emma was living with her adoptive sister. Gold left Storybrooke for a few months to keep an eye on Emma. He knew she was a party girl so, he got a job as a stripper in a club." -Quoted from the post this was inspired by (details inside). Keeping it T 'cause I'm not too confident in my skills of writing anything more risqué.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I mean, maybe I shouldn't have started another Golden Swan story but I got inspired by this post (which ffnet won't let me link unfortunately.) and I just had to do it. I couldn't help myself, so here it is. Let me know what you think.

* * *

It had taken him a long time, a lot of phone calls and a lot of shady deals and bribes but he'd finally found out some information about Henry's birth mother. All he had known when he procured Henry for Regina was that she had been in jail at the time of Henry's birth. He couldn't begin to explain why he had been so interested in the young woman but he was and ever since finding out about her stint in prison he had wanted to find out more about her.

Since she had been a minor at the time of her incarceration the records had been sealed and it had taken him four years to finally track her down. He found out that she was living and working in Boston, which was a relatively short drive from Storybrooke considering that she could've have ended up literally anywhere in the world since getting out of juvie.

He had made a few phone calls and had managed to find out her name. Emma Swan. It was a lovely name and when he'd first seen the name, everything had come flooding back to him. He had remembered his past life in the Enchanted Forest, remembered the curse the Queen had enacted and most importantly remembered that Emma, the child of Snow and Charming would be the one to break the curse. And in that moment he had decided he needed to track her down, find out where she was and what she was doing to keep an eye on her.

Another dozen or so phone calls and Mr. Gold was able to find out that Emma was living in Boston and was working as a bonds woman. He found that to be a particularly interesting career choice for a former criminal, but he chalked it up as an attempt to better herself. He certainly hadn't been expecting that though, but it pleased him all the same to know she wasn't still living the life of crime. If she got locked up again it would certainly delay her coming to Storybrooke and breaking the curse.

However well she seemed to be doing professionally, he had also managed to find out that when she wasn't helping hunt people down, she quite enjoyed the nightlife Boston had to offer. She never got into any trouble, but she certainly did enjoy a night out at the clubs. Everyone he talked to seemed to mention how much of a clubber she was. That little bit of information only added to his intrigue.

He had decided though that it would be best if he went to Boston to keep an eye on her, just in case. Being a former criminal, it made it more likely that she might find her way back into a situation where she'd end up in jail again, and that would make it all the more difficult to make it to Storybrooke to end the curse and he desperately needed that to happen.

So he'd managed to figure out a loophole in the curse about leaving town. As long as he had every intention of returning, which he most certainly did, he'd be able to leave for no more than six months. Mr. Gold had packed up as much of his belongings as he needed or could fit into his Cadillac and headed to Boston.

It had taken Gold about a week to get settled in and rent a decent apartment in Boston. He could've made it easier on himself and found a cheap place since he wasn't going to stay permanently but he'd gotten accustomed to a certain standard of living being the richest man in Storybrooke so he hadn't settled for anything less than a penthouse apartment right at the heart of Boston. There were clubs and bars everywhere he looked. If Emma was as much the party-goer as people had told him, he figured it'd be no time at all before he ran into her.

After settling into his new apartment he figured he'd find a place to work for the time being. He didn't really need the money of course, but he thought it would be suspicious if he didn't work at all and he knew exactly what kind of job he'd try to find.

He was going to work at a club as a stripper. Luckily Regina had actually followed through with her part of the deal and given him a life of comfort, in this world, much like when he had been The Dark One, his leg wasn't injured and he was quite the dancer. He figured he'd use his off days to poke around at different clubs trying to run into her or she'd end up wandering into the club he worked at. It was a flawless plan he thought.

Gold had been working for about a week at the club right next door to his apartment complex. It was a very nice club considering that it was in fact a strip club. Every Friday and Saturday night was ladies night and that's when he was scheduled to work as a dancer. He'd made quite the impression as a stripper and been hired straight away which had surprised him a bit since he was a bit older than the other dancers, though once he got his clothes off that was hardly noticeable. Still though, he hadn't run into Emma. But he was confident it would happen soon enough.

And that night when he went to the bar down the street he'd finally run into her.

He had been sitting at the bar nursing a glass of Johnny Walker when she walked in with another woman at her side. Gold hadn't been expecting to run into her at this bar. He'd only stopped in there for a drink or two, just to get out of his apartment for a bit. There were so many nicer clubs and bars around Boston for her to go to and yet there she was. He had recognized her instantly by her long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes but he still thought the picture he'd been shown hadn't done her justice at all. She was absolutely stunning.

She was wearing a low cut, swoop neck white halter-top adorned with a tight fitting black collared leather jacket. Along with that, she was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans that accentuated the curves of her legs very nicely. The ensemble was finished with a pair of black toeless wedges that made her legs look absolutely fantastic. Though to be perfectly honest, her legs would've looked fantastic even if she'd been wearing a baggy pair of sweat pants.

She had given him a quick once over as she passed him at the bar and made her way to a small booth in the corner of the bar. She had given him a blatantly appreciative glance, which had made the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile as he took another sip of his whisky. He began to think it might be easier to keep an eye on her if she tried keeping and eye on him as well.

Though it was only a Thursday night and the bar he was at was what most people might call a "dive" it was actually rather busy. Gold saw where Emma and her friend sat down but was unable to really see her while she sat in the corner booth. Luckily for him it was scarcely ten minutes before Emma made her way to the dance floor, dragging her friend along with her.

She was a pretty good dancer herself but it wasn't really her dancing that Gold was watching. It was her face, her smile. She had a lovely smile. She looked so happy out there, a wide grin, little crinkles in the corners of her eyes as she smiled. Gold found himself smiling a bit himself as he watched her.

Gold sat there nursing his whisky and watching Emma dance for another few songs. Reaching the bottom of his glass he turned back around at the bar to order another. When her turned back around with a new drink in hand, he noticed Emma wasn't out dancing anymore. In fact, he couldn't see her anywhere, not even at the corner booth she'd been sitting at. As he bobbed his head around trying to find her again, there was a tap on his shoulder.

"Looking for me?"

Mr. Gold turned slowly on his stool to see her. As he suspected upon hearing a woman's voice in his ear, it was Emma who was standing behind him. She looked even more beautiful up close. He could scarcely believe that it was possible for that to be the case. It was a shame he found himself so attracted to her, it would make it harder for him to keep his distance from her for the remainder of his visit. Though he supposed if he saw a lot of her over the coming months he could easily make sure she stayed out of trouble.

She was flashing him a seductive smirk, to which he returned in kind. "You caught me," he said in his smooth Scottish accent, shrugging his shoulders in surrender.

"Mind if I sit down?" She asked, gesturing to the stool to his right.

"On the contrary," he returned.

After an awkward moment of silence after she sat down she said "So, you gonna buy me a drink to apologize for staring at me all night or what?"

"Oh, no. I can't do that, dearie," he answered seriously.

"And why's that?" She asked, tilting her head in question.

"Because that would imply that I was sorry for looking at you, which I can assure you I am not."

Emma let out a genuine laugh at that remark; little crinkles showing up in the corner of her eyes, just like the ones she'd had while dancing.

"That being said, of course, I'd be more than happy to buy you a drink, just not as an apology" he added.

She looked him over appraisingly like she was taking some sort of inventory and deciding whether or not to accept a drink from him. She tilted her head from side to side, stroking her chin, as she looked him over.

Gold laughed as he watched her little show. "Oh, come on now, dearie, let's not play that game. Don't think I didn't notice you check me out when you walked in. I have no doubts you've been keeping your eye on me all night as well. How else would you have noticed I'd been watching you?"

"Well see, the thing is, I come here a lot and I've never seen you before. It's rare to see a new face at this place, kind of a 'regulars' kinda place, know what I mean."

"Ah, I see, so it's got nothing to do with you fancying me then?" He asked her skeptically.

"Well now, I didn't say that," she answered suggestively.

Gold chuckled lightly at her comment. "You're right though, I'm new in town. Just moved in a few weeks ago and I'm finally all settled in. Got myself a nice penthouse at that complex down the road a bit."

_Hm, so he lives at those swanky apartments then, and the penthouse no less. Impressive_, Emma thought. She tried not to look too impressed though. She didn't want to look like some sort of gold-digger.

"And one of the first things you do is come to a bit of a dive bar? I'm not sure that was the greatest idea."

"Well I rather think it's worked out quite well for me so far. Now again, about that drink, what'll you have, dearie?"

"A martini, up, with olives," Emma answered.

Gold looked at the bartender who was standing nearby, "A martini, up, with olives for the lady then," he ordered.

"Coming right up," the young man answered.

"So what's your story, new guy?" She asked once her drink arrived, taking a quick sip of it and licking her lips in response.

"My story?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I mean it's clear you're not from around here, not with that accent. What is that anyway, Scottish?"

"Indeed, love. Though I've been in America for quite some time now. I moved here from Maine."

"Maine? Huh, what made you decide to move to Boston?"

"Change of scenery," he answered taking a sip of his own drink.

"Ok, so what is it you do then?"

"I'm a stripper," Gold replied as if it were the most natural answer in the world.

He'd said it in such a deadpan way; Emma had assumed he was kidding. The way she had laughed and sputtered her drink made that quite clear.

"No, seriously. What do you do that you can afford a penthouse at those apartments?" She demanded.

"I'm a very good dancer, dearie." And then he flashed a seductive wink at her.

Emma's eyes traveled up and down his body once again. She tried to imagine the man before her stripping. He certainly didn't look like a stripper. He was wearing a nice, perfectly tailored suit; it wasn't the sort of thing she imagined a stripper wearing off the clock.

"You're serious aren't you?

"Quite. I work ladies night at that club next to my apartment. Sometimes I tend bar when I'm not dancing, if they need me."

"Shut up!" She exclaimed. "I've been meaning to go to that club since it opened up last month. I heard it's quite the show."

She looked him up and down once again, really starting to imagine what he might look like stripping. Involuntarily she bit her bottom lip, as she looked him up and down. He noticed of course and the corners of his lips turned up in response.

Now that she really began to think about what the man before her might look like under that fine suit of his, she couldn't exactly say it wouldn't be worth a look. He was quite fit looking, pretty thin, though not too thin. Really he was just the right kind of skinny, at least for her tastes anyways. She'd always liked a thinner man.

"It's true, dearie. I'll be dancing there tomorrow," he told her.

"Well then, I'm definitely going to have to make sure I stop by." She winked at him. She wasn't lying either, she would most definitely be going to that club tomorrow.

"Maybe you'll get lucky and I'll give you a private show," he quipped.

"I sure hope so," she returned.

Well this was getting a tad bit more suggestive than she had imagined the encounter going, though she supposed it was only bound to happen seeing as how it had come out that he was a stripper. It was really hard to not slip into a bit of a risqué conversation when stripping was involved.

As Emma took the last sip of her martini, she saw her sister walking towards her.

"Hey, you ready to go?" She asked coming to stand beside her, resting her hands on the bar.

"Oh, uh, sure we can head out," Emma answered.

"I mean you don't have to if you wanna stay," she added, looking at Gold, "but I definitely have to get going, I've still got work tomorrow morning and I don't recover quite as well as you do from drinking."

"No, it's fine, I've got stuff to do tomorrow morning as well. I should probably stop for the night too," she assured Rachel. "It was nice meeting you…" she had been about to say his name, but she suddenly realized she didn't even bother to ask it yet. "Uh, I never actually got your name," she laughed.

Gold took the last sip of his drink before answering. "Ah, my apologizes. I suppose it's a habit of coming from a small town I guess, never really need to introduce myself. The name's Jay Gold," he said, holding his hand out for her to shake.

"Swan, Emma Swan," she replied, taking his hand in hers.

"Emma. What a lovely name." Then he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a light kiss on her knuckles. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Emma," he said letting go of her hand.

"Yeah, same to you…Jay." She wouldn't have guessed that to be his name but she thought it actually suited him quite well. "I'll uh, see you around…?" she added, getting up from her stool.

"I sure hope so," he answered her using her line from earlier.

Emma followed her sister out of the bar, taking one last glance back at Jay as the door closed behind her. She would most definitely be dragging Rachel to that club to see that man dance. And she'd be lying if she said she wasn't hoping he was serious about that private show. She might not go the whole nine-yards with the guy so soon but she wouldn't turn down a lap dance from him by any means.

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Seriously big shout out to threesome-with-mads-and-hugh on tumblr for this little story idea. If you liked this story, you have her to thank for the inspiration.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: And here is chapter two for whoever's been reading this. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope you enjoy this one. Cheers :D

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"Rach? You home?" Emma called out to her sister when she got home that next afternoon.

"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen."

"Ooh, you makin' dinner?" The eagerness in her tone was entirely unconcealed.

"Yup." And as Emma made her way closer to the kitchen she could smell the meal as it cooked. There was a strong smell of garlic and something with tomatoes in it maybe…

"Mmmm, spaghetti and garlic bread! Is it almost ready?"

"Almost, just a few more minutes actually. The bread's done though if you wanna have a piece."

Emma made a "hmm" noise like she was carefully considering something.

"What?" Rachel asked sensing Emma's hesitation.

"Well…garlic…maybe not the best thing to eat if I go out tonight, which I one-thousand percent plan on doing," she answered, giving her sister a pointed look that all too clearly said "and you're coming with me".

"I assumed you would probably brush your teeth and shower again anyway, your usual going out routine."

"Very true…bread it is then." Then she half skipped, half walked over to the counter where said bread was sitting out and snatched up a slice. It was perfectly cheesy and garlicky and it was oh so delicious. "Mmmm, oh my god this is good!" Emma mumbed, barely audible as her mouth was full of the tasty bread.

"Glad you like it. So you're seriously going out again tonight?" Her sister asked in an admonishing sort of tone. Rachel thought Emma sometimes had a little bit too much fun going out as often as she did.

"Definitely," Emma stated with a note of finality. "Never know who I might see out on the town," she said hinting.

"Like that guy from the bar last night?" Rachel asked, knowing exactly what her sister had been hinting at. Even though they weren't blood related and hadn't spent as much time together as sisters usually did, they did have that sister bond where they always sort of just knew what was going on in the other's head.

It had been painfully obvious to Rachel that Emma was interested in the guy from the bar…Jay, if she remembered correctly. For an older man, he was quite attractive, not really Rachel's type but Emma certainly saw something in him. He was skinny too, though Emma had mostly gone for skinny guys, she definitely had a type as far as body type and this guy fit it to a T.

Emma just grinned back at Rachel mischievously.

"Who is he anyway?" Inquired Rachel.

"I don't know yet." _But I sure as hell'd like to._ "Say's he's a dancer at that fancy new club, right near those really fancy shmancy apartments, you know the ones I'm talking about."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, you're going to go to that club tonight?"

She couldn't believe her little sister was about to go to a strip club to see a guy dance. It was moments like this when Rachel remembered that they weren't biologically related. This kind of behavior did not run in their family at all. Emma was something special with her spontaneity and thirst for adventure. That very well could've been what had gotten her sent to jail. Luckily this sort of adventurous activity wasn't illegal, morally suspect maybe, but not illegal.

"Why, not?" Emma raised her brow suggestively and shot a little smirk her sister's way.

Rachel shook her head, "You know there is just never a dull moment living with you, Emma."

Emma clicked her tongue, "You know, I'm going to take that as a compliment, even though I'm not entirely sure you meant it as one."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, shaking her head a bit more and smiling at Emma. "On to other matters, the sauce is done so dinner is served…and by 'served' I mean you can grab a plate and serve yourself."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Emma parroted back. "Now, you're coming with me tonight, right?"

There was a long pause as Rachel avoided Emma's gaze and just ate her spaghetti.

"_Right?"_ Emma asked again.

Still no answer.

"Are you kidding me? You're not coming? I can't go by myself," Emma pleaded.

"Sure you can. You go by yourself all the time."

"Yeah, but it's not as much fun," she whined.

"I think you're going to have plenty of fun on your own tonight," Rachel intimated.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean, Emma."

"I'm not going there to try and like pick him up and bring him home with me or something," Emma said, clearly affronted by her sisters implication.

Rachel raised her brows at Emma knowingly. She wasn't judging Emma, not really, she could do as she pleased. It was just that Emma's lifestyle wasn't always exactly something Rachel agreed with and was certainly not how she behaved. She was a bit more of a straight arrow, no prude or anything by any means but not quite so loose as Emma. And definitely not since her kids and her divorce.

"Ok, so the thought may have crossed my mind, but it was more like a passing fancy kinda thing, not like I actually plan on anything happening. I just wanna go see him dance. Is that a crime?"

"No, I'm just saying, I'd really rather not be the third wheel while you go chase this new guy around for the night. Plus, I mean he's not bad looking or anything exactly, but he's not really the kind of guy I'd like to see up on stage."

Emma made an intentionally exaggerated gasp, clutching at her chest. "Bite your tongue! How would you not want to see that body move?" Emma asked waving her head around.

Rachel laughed. "I'll never understand you're thing for those skinny guys. I like 'em buff and tall."

"Hey, he wasn't that short," Emma admonished.

"He was barely taller than you, Emma."

"Well I'm not that tall," she noted.

"You're about average and for him to be not that much taller than you that makes him short for a guy."

"Irrelevant," Emma deadpanned. "I thought he was kinda sexy," she added.

"Yeah, I could tell."

Emma smiled mischievously again. "I'm not very subtle, am I?"

"Not at all. You gotta lock that shit down, sweetie."

"How come? I mean, what's wrong with lettin' a guy know I'm into him?"

Rachel inhaled then looked off to the side considering Emma's words. Exhaling, she returned her gaze to Emma, "Nothing I guess, just not how I'd play it."

"Well, _I_ am not _you_."

"That much is clear," Rachel agreed.

Emma just laughed.

"So you're sure you don't want to come to the club with me?" Emma asked again, just to clarify.

"Yeah I'm sure. I'm gonna pick up the kids from their dad's and hang out with them here for the night," she said spooning the last of her spaghetti into her mouth. "Oh," she sputtered, "that reminds me. Try to be quite when you get home…_if_ you get home."

"Oh my god, Rach, I'm not trying to sleep with the guy!" _Not tonight anyway…maybe._

"I'm just saying." Rachel replied holding up her hands.

"Whatever," Emma began. "I'm going to go get in the shower and get ready."

"I will probably be getting the kids when you're done and when you leave, so, have a good time," Rachel said as Emma made her way to the sink to rinse her dish. "Have a drink for me," she added when Emma reached the entryway to the kitchen on her way out. "Be good!" She shouted after her when she heard her ascending the stairs.

"I will, I will and we'll see," Emma retorted, responding to each of her sisters separate demands.

Shaking her head, Rachel got up from the table as well and ambled to the sink to rinse her own dish.

Nearly two hours later, Emma was just putting the finishing touches on her look. She'd showered, brushed her teeth, dried her hair and after quite a bit of deliberation had picked out an outfit to wear. Her hair had turned out perfectly wavy, which was a damn miracle since it rarely turned out quite this good. She'd decided on wearing a form fitting redish pink dress and she just knew instinctively that the dress would drive Jay crazy.

Emma knew that if her sister had seen her in the dress she would have given her quite a disapproving look. Everything about that dress practically screamed "I'm getting laid tonight". It was her man-eater dress and she was going to wear it proudly. She still didn't intend on sleeping with the guy, but she had no delusions that the night very well could head in that direction, and she didn't mind the thought at all.

Standing in front of the mirror, Emma turned to the side placing her hands on her hips and sticking her ass out and admired herself in front of the mirror. Then she turned her back on the mirror and checked herself out over her shoulder. Deciding she looked good from those two vantage points she turned to face the mirror head-on again, hands still planted on her hips. As a finishing touch she pushed her breasts up a bit to draw more attention to her cleavage and called it good.

She made one last trip to the smaller bathroom mirror to check and touch up her make-up one last time and seeing that all was well, she headed to the club ready to see a show.

Walking into the club she noted that it was rather packed, full to the brim with waiting ladies and quite a few men as well. Ladies night here just meant women could get in for free, not that men weren't allowed. A more progressive and open place it seemed.

Surveying the club she noticed that most everyone was crowded around a main stage towards the back of the club. A few clusters of people were sitting in tables and such further back but it appeared to Emma that there was some special show going on this evening as the other smaller stages were unoccupied by scantily clad men. Slowly, eyes still roaming and taking in her surroundings, she slinked over to the bar to order a drink.

"What can I get for you?" The young, fit bartender asked as Emma approached the bar.

"Hmm…" she pondered. Did she want her usual martini or something a bit more fun? "For starters, I'll have a shot of tequila."

Fun it was, then. "Oh and here's my credit card, might as well open up a tab."

"I'll need to see your ID."

"No problem," she stated pulling her ID out to give the guy.

"Emma Swan?" He stated questioningly.

"That's me," she answered looking at him strangely.

"Hold on, I have to check something with my supervisor real quick."

"Uh ok," she muttered.

_What the hell is that about? _

A minute or two later the bartender came back with her credit card and ID.

"Is something wrong?" She prompted.

"No, nothing's wrong, it's just someone has already opened up a tab for you. I thought I remembered seeing your name earlier and that was why."

Emma smiled having a pretty good idea who would have done that.

_That sly dog was so confident I'd come here tonight he already opened up a tab for me and is paying for my drinks. Yeah, I knew I liked this guy. _

"And, uh, who exactly did that?"

"Uh, you—you don't know?"

"I'm pretty sure I do, I just want to hear it."

"Well it was Gold…uh, Jay Gold. One of the dancers."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. So can I get that shot now?"

"Absolutely," he replied as he quickly set a shot glass on the bar and filled it to the brim with tequila.

He slid the glass to her. She swiped it up quickly and downed the shot swiftly, wincing and pulling a weird face as the strong tasting liquid made its way down her throat burning slightly. She exhaled strongly and slammed the shot glass back down on the table.

"I'll take another," she said to the bartender who'd stood there watching as she drank her shot.

He was still holding the bottle of tequila and he quickly made to refill the little glass. After he slid it back to her she quickly repeated the process from before: shot, wince, exhale, slam.

"Another?" The bartender asked tentatively, probably thinking she shouldn't have another, but asking anyway.

"Whew," Emma whistled, shaking her head a bit as she could already feel the alcohol getting to her from just those two shots. "No. Gonna take it down a notch for now and go with a Dirty Shirley, but uh, not too dirty, if you know what I mean."

"Sure thing."

As the bartender fixed her drink, Emma focused her attention back to surveying the club and all the people congregated by the stage. Again she wondered if there was some special event going on at the club that night or if it was always crowded like it was. She decided to ask the bartender, her would certainly know.

"So uh, what's going on over—" but before she could finish her question, a voice sounded loudly through the club over the speaker system.

"Welcome all," the voice began. "We've got quite the show for you this evening so grab a good seat and get ready for the show. For one night only on this special "ladies night" we're giving you the Full Monty. That's right, you heard me, our dancers will bare it all up on the big stage for you tonight. And without further ado—"

* * *

A/N: Also I forgot to mention it before but credit for Gold's first name has to go to some folks on tumblr, I didn't come up with it but I really liked it so I used it, anyway, jgoldau tumblr is where it came from, which by the way is a really great Golden Swan AU roleplay blog that you should probably check out.

S/O to those who reviewed! I loved reading your reviews keep 'em coming.

Special notes:

**to: Sarah Kent-Duke: **Yes I've seen The Full Monty, the tumblr post this is based of was a sort of crossover using scenes from that and Bringing Ashley Home. The next chapter is almost entirely based on the final scene in The Full Monty, so if you keep reading, you've got that to look forward to :D

** to: Guest: **Oh yes, the consequences of this story if it was canon would be hilarious...as of now I haven't quite decided on the future of it, I only have little bits that I really want to do so keep reading and you'll (hell, and me) will see where it goes.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And finally Gold dances!

* * *

As he trailed off, the lights around the club dimmed as spotlights turned on above the stage. Then the dancers came out onto the stage to the song _You Can Leave Your Hat On_.

Emma snorted a bit and sloshed some of her drink over the bar by accident. They had all come out wearing cute little police officer's uniforms and she liked it…a lot.

"Oh, this I gotta see!" She exclaimed. From where she was sitting she couldn't really see much and she couldn't tell which one was Jay, though she did see one guy who she thought could be him.

Scanning the club she could only think of one way she'd be able to get a clear view since she hadn't gotten there early enough to get a seat very close. So, walking like she owned the place and like she was totally supposed to be there, she climbed up onto one of the smaller stages just diagonal to center stage.

And there he was, standing up there on stage strutting his stuff dressed as a police officer. It was hot! Just like he said, too, he was quite the dancer. He sure knew what he was doing up there and she found herself smiling giddily like a little schoolgirl as she watched him.

She had a clear view of him from where she stood on the other stage and not long into the dance he caught sight of her and flashed her a smile. Then off came the shirt and…damn. He was just as fit under his shirt as she'd imagined, maybe even a little more than she'd imagined.

He tossed the shirt aside to one of the ladies sitting close to the stage, same with his belt shortly afterwards. She was a little crestfallen at that but then she realized there were more articles of clothing to follow, maybe he'd get around to tossing something her way too.

Next, next came the pants and what she saw, she was not expecting. It was too early in the song for it to be the big reveal so to speak but she was not entirely ready for the little read leather thongs they were all wearing. Even though it was hot, she still couldn't help but chuckle a little bit as all these men were standing there in only red leather thongs and police hats.

All the men then took their hats off and placed them in front of their crotches, Gold flashed a seductive look her way as he did it and she grinned wolfishly back at him and clapped her hands. They danced around a little bit more, putting their hats back on and then came and lined up side by side at the front of the stage. And in that moment she knew that the good part was coming.

Again they put their hats back down in front of them and they all pulled off their little red thongs. Gold caught Emma's eyes again as he did so and she brought her hands up to her mouth and let out a loud wolf-whistle and smiled appreciatively back up at him.

They stood there waving their thongs in front of the crowd for a moment and then dropping them to their feet. Then they walked down a little set of stairs on the stage, forming a little "V" formation as they danced with only their hats for covering. Gold was one of the two right at the front of the pack.

The men swayed side to side a few times in time with the music then turned round, showing of their asses to the crowd. Emma's eyes went wide; he had a nice ass, very nice indeed. The image of his cute little behind waggling around was probably going to be etched into her brain forever and she was totally ok with that.

Then came the big finale. As they turned back around to face the crowd again they all flung their hats out into the crowd and Emma finally got her keepsake as Gold's hat came flying in her direction and she caught it. And if Emma had been impressed by Gold's backside, it was nothing compared to how she felt about the front. He looked damn good up there completely naked. He was uh, well he certainly didn't have anything to be embarrassed about in the locker room.

_I could get used to seeing that_, she thought with a huge grin on her face as he stood up there. She only wished she was the only one seeing him like that, but if all went well, she'd be seeing him like that again soon enough, and all to herself too.

As the song came to an end the dancers bowed and headed back off stage. For a minute the crowd was still abuzz with catcalls and jeers, and she could hear muttered praises from several people. The crowd began to disperse away from the main stage and the lights in the club evened back out. With that giddy schoolgirl smile still plastered on her face, Emma climbed down from the stage she'd been standing on.

Slowly, still smiling, hat in hand, she made her way back to the bar where she'd left her drink in her haste to watch the show. She gulped down the whole glass. For a second she almost felt like asking the bartender for a glass of water to splash on herself or maybe for him to spray her down with a hose.

"Refill?" He asked.

"Yeah…make this one a little dirtier."

"No problem."

"Enjoy the show, dearie?" that smooth Scottish accent sounded from behind her.

"That would be an understatement. You weren't kidding when you said you were quite the dancer."

When the bartender slid the drink in front of Emma, Gold addressed him. "The lady's drinks have been going on the tab I set up for her, correct?"

"Yup," he answered with a nod.

"Excellent," Gold replied.

"You trying to get me drunk, Gold?" She tested out addressing him by his last name like the bartender had earlier. While she liked the name Jay and thought it fit him quite well, she also liked calling him Gold, especially when they were doing this playful banter thing.

"Not at all, dearie, you could order whatever you'd like and I'd pay for it. Though really, by your rules, maybe you should be buying me a drink."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well you asked me if I was going to buy you a drink to apologize for staring at you last night, so are you going to buy me one to apologize for staring at me?" He quipped. Of course the situations were quite different but he couldn't resist making the joke anyway, especially since he'd noted her eyes hadn't strayed from him throughout the whole little dance number.

"Oh, no I couldn't do that. You might think I was sorry for looking at you, which I sure as hell am not. Not even a little bit," She joked back, copying his clever retort from the night before, albeit with her own little twist on it, all the while looking him up and down once again biting her lip as she did.

He laughed deeply at her little joke. It had been quite sometime since he'd met anyone who would keep up with his level of banter. Just add that to the ever-growing list of things he liked about this woman. And add the fact that he really liked her to the ever-growing list of reasons why he shouldn't be going anywhere near her let alone flirting with her like he was.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for my hat back, dearie," he inclined his head at the police hat lying next to her on the bar.

"Oh come on," she whined. "It's my souvenir. You gonna go around and ask those _other chicks_ for the stuff you threw at them back?" Her tone barely concealed the jealous tone that seeped out.

"Oh, is that a little bit of jealousy I heard there? Now, now Emma, I saved the best souvenir for you," he said with a wink. "Besides, what sort of showman would I be if I only put on a show for you?"

"Jealous? Of them? Why should I be? I'm the one that's getting the after show."

Gold looked a bit taken aback at her words and raised a brow at her mischievously.

"The after show?"

"I—No, that's not what I meant," she backtracked, realizing how suggestive that had sounded. "I, uh—I guess I mean more the 'behind the scenes' than the 'after show'…" she finished trailing off and wondering if that actually sounded any better. It made sense to her.

_Not that I'm not hoping for an after show…_

Glancing at the bartender he ordered a whisky for himself and took a seat on the stool to Emma's right. "And what exactly might the difference between those be?"

"Uh…well…I guess I'd consider the 'after show' to be like, uh, extra—More than what happened on stage," she tried explaining to him, letting Gold decide for himself what extra stuff there could be. "And uh, the 'behind the scenes' would be this sort of thing," she pointed between herself and Gold. "You know, getting to know you, see you off the stage and not as a stripper."

_Yeah, that makes sense_, Emma assured herself.

"Ah, I see," he returned, taking a sip of his whisky. "So…your friend decide not to join you this evening?" He asked trying to make conversation.

"Who? Oh right, uh, that's actually my sister…adoptive sister, Rachel."

"Oh, you were adopted?" He knew that already, of course, knowing the fate of her biological parents.

"Occasionally," she answered quietly, tearing her eyes from him. She didn't really like to talk about how many times she got shuffled from one family to another. It was a godsend when Rachel's parents had wanted another kid but weren't able to conceive, that way there wasn't a chance that they'd have their own kid and send her back again.

"Sore subject I take it. I apologize."

"Uh yeah, thanks, I—It's not my favorite thing to talk about." She still avoided making eye contact with him and instead swirled the straw in her glass around nervously.

"Then I won't ask about it again," he declared. "What _would_ you like to talk about?"

"How about we talk about you?"

"Me?" He asked tilting his head and placing his hand on his chest.

"Yeah, you. Where the hell did you learn to dance like that?"

"Oh, it's hardly anything spectacular, dearie. It's not like I'm dancing the ballet or anything."

"Maybe not, but you sure as hell know what you're doing up there," she retorted.

"You think so?" He asked, perking up a bit at her compliment.

"Definitely. Makes me wonder a bit what a, uh, _private show_ with you might be like." She flashed him a mischievous smirk, and raised her brow suggestively.

"If that's what you'd like, dearie," he began and then leaned in really close to her, his head coming to a rest just above her shoulder. She could feel his breath on her ear, but no part of him was touching her. Somehow that was worse, it was just a tease and chills ran though her body. "All you have to do is ask," he whispered into her ear. He pulled back and licked his lips for good measure, eyes locking with hers, challenging her to ask him for more.

Reflexively, her eyes fluttered closed as his breath tickled her ear and she let out the tiniest of gasps. She cursed inwardly when she realized there was no way he hadn't heard it. His ear was nearly as close to her lips as hers was to his. As he pulled back and her eyes met his once again, she let out a small disappointed sigh at the loss of closeness.

"But you have to ask nicely." He winked again at her and threw back the rest of his whisky, savoring the taste of it on his tongue and relishing the burn of it as it slid down his throat.

"Hmm, not just yet," she replied, shocking even herself with that answer. She still wanted to know more about him. Emma was nowhere near finished asking him questions.

"No?" Gold asked, genuinely surprised she did try to jump him instead. The way her eyes shone with lust he was sure she'd practically be begging for that private show.

"No. I'm not done talking about you yet, though that was a very good attempt at trying to change the subject. It almost worked," she stated then brought her drink up to her lips. "Almost." She added after she'd finished taking a sip.

"Have it your way, dearie. What would you like to know?"

"First off, seriously, where did you learn to dance?"

"First off, seriously," he mimicked. "There's really nothing special about my actual dancing, it's more the type of dancing that you find so exciting. In truth, it was just something I did in my spare time…dancing, not stripping, and I thought I might try my hand at making a bit of money while I did it."

"Fair enough." She went to speak again, but he interrupted her.

"Now, before this goes on any longer, dearie, you must know that I've never made a habit out of doing things without some sort of benefit for myself."

Emma simply looked at him expectantly waiting him to continue in whatever it was he was getting at.

"So, I propose a deal," he started. "For every question you ask me, I get to ask you one. Do we have a deal?" Then he put his hand out to her for her to shake and seal the deal.

"Deal." And she took his hand in hers.

Just like he had the other night when they shook hands, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. A shiver went down her body and gooseflesh rose on her skin as his tongue snaked out just the slightest and slid over the soft skin of her hand.

"Then it's my turn."

* * *

Thanks to those who reviewed :D

Special note:

**Twyla Mercedes: **Yes, Emma is a bit of a slutty kitten in this story. It's very fun to write her that way and something I could easily see her having been in her past ;D

**Marine: **I can definitely see how it's hard to picture him as Gold from the show and not how he looks in the Full Monty and sorry to disappoint that the private show still hasn't happened. Maybe next chapter...

Also I will gladly take suggestions for questions for Emma to ask Gold and Gold to ask Emma. Just put them in reviews or PM me on her or my tumblr (check my profile for that info). Cheers!


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you do…apart from frequent bars and clubs and hit on older men?" He quipped. Again, he knew the answer already but she didn't know he knew that and he had no intention of letting on that he did.

"I'm a bonds woman."

"Ah, so you have a skill for finding people?" He thought for a moment that in the future when she made her way to Storybrooke that skill of hers might be of some benefit to him.

"That's right. And now you've asked two questions, so that means I get two."

Gold eyes shot open and his brows arched in surprise. _Damn. _He hadn't even caught that. That sly little minx Emma was. Normally it was he who turned people's words back on them, and here she'd gone and done it to him. That went on that ever-growing list as well.

He inclined his head towards her, "Well played, dearie. By all means then…"

"I'll keep it simple for now, what did you do back in Maine?"

"I owned a pawnshop."

"Really…" she started, then catching on that that would've been considered a question she hastily added, "interesting."

He grinned at her. Quite the intelligent woman she was. "Nice save, dearie."

She made an exaggerated bow in thanks. "Hmm," she began, thinking of what she wanted to know next. That pawnshop thing struck her as odd, for no particular reason really; she just hadn't been expecting it. "I feel like I'm going to regret wasting my second question on this, but now I'm curious, why a pawnshop?"

"I've always found antique, trinkets, or whatever you might call them to be highly interesting. Each piece in my shop had it's own unique story, a history, a meaning, a life of it's own."

"Poetic," she commented.

"Indeed; my turn again. Why a bonds woman?" He asked her, mimicking her own question.

"I uh, I was looking for someone, someone I thought might be the kind of person who bonds people get sent after," she answered somewhat evasively. She hoped he wouldn't ask her who it was she was looking for.

Gold was itching to ask her who she was or had been looking for and whether she'd found whoever it was or not but it wasn't his turn. Besides he could tell from her tone that she wouldn't want to answer that question, at least not the one of who it was.

It would be interesting though to see if she'd answer or if she'd back out of their little game, but he didn't really want her to start asking him uncomfortable questions either. Uncomfortable questions led to uncomfortable answers and uncomfortable answers led as far away from flirtation as one could get and he did not want that at the moment.

"What's your favorite piece in that shop of yours?"

Well that was unexpected. "An odd story book. It's very interesting. It takes the fairytales everyone grew up with and adds it's own unique twist onto them. Very fascinating. Plus it's the only piece in my shop that I can't remember how I came across it or who previously owned it. It doesn't even have an author listed. It's a very peculiar piece."

"Huh, that is interesting…well, your turn."

"Favorite feel good song?"

"Ooh, good question. Um..Don't Stop, by Fleetwood Mac." She answered.

"Equally good answer. That is an excellent song. I am, however, a little surprised that was the song you chose."

"And why's…no, you're not gonna trick me into giving up my question. I don't care why you're surprised."

Gold just chuckled at her. She was a quick one. He liked it…too much. "You are a clever one, Emma. So, go on then, ask your question."

"Biggest non-physical turn-on?"

"Ah, getting to the good stuff I see. Wit, wit is my answer…and sense of humor. A woman who can keep up with me in that department is always exciting."

"Point one for me then I suppose," she commented as she took another sip of her drink.

"Absolutely," he said with a nod as he too brought his drink to his lips. "And I'll go ahead and ask you the same question in return; biggest non-physical turn-on?"

"Easy," she stated firmly, "reliability." Emma had been with enough unreliable men in her life, one man in particular; to know that that was something she wanted.

"Ah" he responded simply.

"Not that, you know, wit and a good sense of humor aren't attractive qualities," she said inclining her head at him. "It's just—I mean, there's really no point being with someone who can make you laugh if you can't rely on them to be there for you when you need them."

"Completely understandable, my dear," he said nodding his head and inclining his drink in her direction.

It seemed she had a lot to say on the matter, more than she was wiling to share and he was very curious about that. What had happened in her life that made that the first thing she thought about? Something to do with having been adopted "occasionally" perhaps; or maybe a former lover or close friend had been unreliable. No doubt it also had something to do with her perception of what her parents had done with her seeing as how she did not know the real story, believing that she was abandoned on the side of the road (it had been in the records of hers he'd found).

Emma thought that the most logical course of action now was to ask him about physical turn-ons but she thought that was too boring. It was entirely too predictable and what fun would that be? So instead, she asked him about anything he regretted in his life. It had just come to her and she wanted to know.

"Oh, well…I'm afraid this will reflect rather poorly on me, especially given your answer to my last question. That being said, what sort of man would I be if I backed out when things got a little uncomfortable, eh?" He asked and then downed the rest of his drink in one go, attempting to stir up some courage, and waved at the bartender to get him another.

"Some time ago, I made a deal with someone, someone very close to me," he continued, resting a hand on his knee. "And well, when the time came for me to hold up my end of the deal…I couldn't go through with it I—I chickened out," he finished turning away from her, a look of shame noticeable in his brown eyes.

Seeing that look in his eyes, she knew it would be best not to question him further on the matter when it was her turn to ask another question.

"The fact that you regret it kinda shows that you know what you did was wrong…" she said dropping her hand to grab his where it rested on his knee. "And I'm speaking in a general sort of sense since I obviously don't know what exactly your deal entailed."

"I haven't broken another deal with anyone since," he whispered. It was almost like he was talking to himself, like she wasn't meant to hear it, like he was trying to justify something to himself. She elected not to comment on it not being entirely sure she was really meant to hear it.

Clearing his throat once, he straightened back up and looked back at Emma. He didn't pull his hand away from Emma's as he asked her the same question in return.

"I had a feeling that was coming," she said. "But here goes…I uh, I gave up my kid for adoption. I mean, it's kind of complicated," she went on, not noticing his lack of surprise about her having a kid. "It was the best thing to do at the time, I was in no position to raise a kid but—I guess I regret ending up in the kind of position that made that seem like a good thing to do. I don't regret having the kid, of course, I just—sometimes I just really wish things had gone differently, you know?"

"Indeed," he replied. He knew all about wishing things had gone differently. It seemed his life was full of things he'd wished had gone differently.

"Well, uh, that got kinda deep. How 'bout something a little lighter, huh? First thing you notice in women and why?"

"Eyes. And as far as why, eyes are beautiful, particularly yours," he said waggling his eyebrows at her. "But really, eyes reveal so much; what a person is feeling or thinking, if they're lying, so, so much."

"I get that," Emma said. "Especially about the lying thing. I've actually got a bit of what I like to call a 'super power' about knowing when someone is lying to me."

"You don't say…" he replied. "What an interesting bit of knowledge to have. And my turn once more, " he went on quickly avoiding conversation about lying. "And I fear I'm being rather unimaginative here but again I will ask the same question you asked me, first thing you notice in men and why?"

"I always notice a guy's smile," she answered. Gold flashed a smile of his own at her as though to demonstrate his for her appreciation. She laughed lightly. "Yes, Gold, you've got a nice smile, very nice actually. And I guess why I notice that first is smiles are kind of just as revealing as the eyes can be if you think about it. There's shy smiles, sly ones, evil ones…suggestive ones," she said flashing a suggestive smile of her own at him.

"I'd never thought of it that way before," he admitted. "But when you put it like that…" he said dropping his gaze from her face.

It was then that he noticed her hand still gripping his where it rested on his knee. They'd been talking for a few minutes now hand-in-hand and he hadn't even noticed it. The feeling of someone's hand in his own was foreign and yet it didn't feel odd at all to have hers there. He brushed his thumb over her skin and looked back up at her.

"Now I know it's not my turn, but I have to ask, dearie…Why did you come here tonight?"

"To see you dance," she answered not elaborating at all, just as he had expected.

"I don't think that's all," he replied with a knowing look.

"Well—"

_Shit, does he know that I came here trying to go home with him? Does that bother him? It's not really the only reason I came here though, I swear, _Emma argued with herself.

"I, uh, well I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit curious and maybe even a little excited about the possibility of that private show turning into a horizontal tango," she said.

"I see. You're quite straight-forward," he commented with a laugh.

"Uh, yeah—Yeah I am," she said with more conviction the second time and then without warning, she leaned forward into him and kissed him full on the lips. Her right hand stayed where it was resting in his and her left traveled up from her side to cup his face.

It took Gold a moment to catch up, not expecting this turn of events in the slightest but when he finally did he responded vigorously. He gripped her one hand tighter and let his other fall to her waist, slipping around her back a bit pulling her towards him a bit more, hungering for the soft feel of her lips against his.

Feeling him pull her towards him, Emma scooted off her stool to get closer to him, standing in between his legs. She let go of his hand and brought both arms to wrap around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. It was just as soft as it looked.

Gold was enjoying the kiss far more than he would've liked to admit. She tasted of cherries. And her fingers running through his hair sent shivers down his spine…the good kind. He could have gladly stayed doing what they were doing for the rest of the evening, but he started to feel that it was all wrong.

What was he even doing, this hadn't been part of his plan. He was just supposed to go to Boston to keep an eye on her. How had things gotten so out of hand only having known her for two days? And sure, it was only a kiss, but that was for now. There was no denying that both parties would enjoy it if their kiss led to other activities. But he couldn't, not yet.

This was all too rushed and more than he'd bargained for. If he was being honest with himself he was almost scared, though he of course would never fully admit to that. It had been quite sometime since he'd been with a woman. He'd kicked the last woman he kissed out of his castle afterwards. Not exactly how things are supposed to progress.

He wanted to do things right, or as right as he could do considering the fact she was no stranger to him like he was to her.

_No! Not _right_! You shouldn't want to do anything at all _any _way!_ Gold's conscience shouted at him.

But the thing was, he did want it…oh how he wanted it; he knew he shouldn't, knew it wasn't wise, but there it was. There was absolutely no way that things would not end well. After all, he had no option but to return to Storybrooke soon enough. And then what would happen? She'd end up in Storybrooke herself eventually and Gold wasn't being arrogant in thinking that she would remember him when she did. It's hard to forget the face of a guy you met in a bar one night and saw stripping completely naked the next.

It was either he left before things could go any further, she might wonder what she'd done wrong perhaps and be at least mildly disappointed, or he sticks around for the next couple months, possibly get close to her? It could be fortuitous to him to get to know her really well in the long run but what sort of backlash would that unleash when they met again in the future.

He doubted she'd buy that it had been mere coincidence. Perhaps he could try to sell it as fate that they met again. Though that would just be one more lie for him to explain when she broke the curse and discovered the truth of who he was. Whichever way he looked at it, he did not like the outcome. He began to wonder if this was possibly the worst idea he'd ever had, coming to Boston.

But as he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him, he felt certain that breaking that connection and forcing their lips apart was without a doubt the real worst idea he'd ever had. Though he knew it was for the best…for both of them…for now.

"I think I should call you a cab, dearie," he breathed as they parted. He didn't look her in the eye. He didn't want to see any trace of a pout at his words, or worse a look of lust or determination on her part to see this thing through until the end.

"But what about my private show?" She asked huskily.

_Christ, woman!_

"You already got one show tonight, my dear. And besides, if I give you what you want now, who's to say I'll ever see you again after tonight?"

"What if I promise you will?"

"I'm afraid that's a risk I'm not willing to take," he answered following in her footsteps of keeping the conversation light and flirty rather than serious. He didn't want her to be offended. Now was just not the right time.

A tiny trace of disappointment was noticeable in her expression but she went along with it anyway. That thought alone, that she might be seeing him again, was enough to be going on with. Instead of feeling rejected or anything she decided to imagine what their next encounter might be like. She was determined there would be a next one.

Standing up from his stool he took Emma's hand in his own and walked her towards the front of the club. When they got outside it was quite cold, being a bit later in the evening. Emma shivered involuntarily and Gold offered her his jacket as he hailed a cab. It was a few minutes before an empty cab rolled to a stop in front of them.

As Emma went to slide into the cab, she went to shrug back out of Gold's jacket and return it to him.

"Keep it, I live right next door I won't be needing it. Think of it as collateral" he said as he helped her into the cab. "Oh and here, take this," he said handing over a little business card. "My number," he clarified for her." She turned the card over in her hand a small smile gracing her delicate lips. And reluctantly, he shut the car door, watching a bit disappointed in his own right as the cab drove away.

* * *

****Thanks for reading, and to those who reviewed the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!

**Special Note:**

**CheshireAu emma: **I swear these similarities to your Emma/story are NOT on purpose. The only intentional one was using Jay as his first name. I swear! lol. The question thing just totally seems like a Gold kinda thing!


	5. Chapter 5

It was just over three months before Gold saw Emma again, well at least as far as Emma knew anyway. She'd gone out of state on an assignment as far as he could tell and he'd followed her to keep an eye on her not knowing that she was working. It had been very entertaining watching her plan and catch people.

She'd tail a person for a while and come up with some sneaky way to meet them out somewhere and catch them and take them back to Boston. Emma was quite the bondswoman because she took down several people in those few months and as far as he could tell, she always got her mark too. Though oddly enough as good as she was at tailing people she wasn't quite as good at realizing she was being tailed since he'd been following her around all that time without her noticing.

And about a week after she'd returned she had called him up about returning his jacket. That was of course just pretense as far as either party was concerned. Neither of them believed she only wished to return his jacket to him. The entire few weeks he'd followed her out of town he'd been waiting for her job to be finished so he could see her again.

Not for the first time, he questioned what he was even doing, what his plan was. In reality he'd already done what he came there for, to make sure she wouldn't slip into old habits that may keep her from getting to Storybrooke to fulfill her destiny and break the curse. But, for the first time in a long time, he didn't care about what his original plan had been. He was just winging it and all he knew was that he enjoyed the company of this tenacious blonde and wanted to see more of her. He was being selfish and he knew it but that wasn't going to stop him.

But even so, when she had called him up to meet him to return his jacket he agreed with much trepidation. And since her phone call he'd changed his mind about seeing her a dozen and a half times. Though when the time came for her to come to his apartment to see him, he was more eager for the meeting than anxious. But as eager and excited as he was to see her again he was in no way prepared for what he saw when she arrived.

She'd come to knock on his door to return his jacket and well, she had certainly remembered to bring it, in fact, she was wearing it. She was wearing his jacket and as far as he could tell, wasn't wearing anything else. The jacket was pulled tight around her body and while it was a longer coat it wasn't long enough to conceal a pair of shorts…unless they were very, very short. And somehow he suspected she wasn't wearing shorts under the jacket.

His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her and involuntarily he licked his lips, biting his lower lip as he did so, looking her up and down. And before he could say anything in greeting, or pick his mouth up from the floor for that matter, she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him to her in a fierce kiss.

He let out a low whistle when they parted. "Glad to see you've dressed up for the occasion, dearie," he joked tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

"Yeah well I've waited almost four months to see you again and if it's going to end up another four months after tonight, then I'm sure as hell gonna make tonight one that will keep me sane for those four months," she explained huskily.

"Keep you sane?" He questioned.

"Yes! I've been going absolutely nuts these past months! If I hadn't had so much work on my plate I wouldn't have waited twenty-four hours before calling you up and making sure you knew what you had missed when you turned me away that night."

"And here I thought you'd forgotten about me and made off with my coat. Although truthfully, if there was ever a woman who I wouldn't mind losing my coat to, it'd be you," he joked and grabbed her around the waist forcing her closer to him. "And I must say, this was well worth the wait."

His eyes flicked back and forth between her eyes and lips before he pulled her in for a searing kiss. After having waited so long to do that again he didn't hold back at all. And as she returned the kiss enthusiastically, she didn't hold back either.

"So I take it you're not going to turn me away this time?" She asked.

"Absolutely not. I've already berated myself for putting you in that cab that night, but I still think it was best. I wouldn't have wanted you to regret anything that would've likely transpired that evening if you'd gone home with me."

"And you don't think I'll regret it this time?"

"Seeing as how you seem to have given this a fair bit of thought and planning, no, I don't see that being an issue."

"Good because I wasn't intending on taking 'no' for an answer this time."

"This evening, my dear, the word 'no' isn't in my vocabulary."

"Even better 'cause I was also hoping to get that private dance you promised me," she replied, looking him up and down lustfully as he stood there dressed in an all black suit with a tie to match. All he was missing was socks and the jacket of the suit; he was even still wearing a waistcoat.

"As you wish, dearie. Let me show you to the bedroom," and he motioned down the hall and led her to his room.

Once inside the bedroom Emma sat herself on the edge of Gold's immaculate king sized bed. She placed her hands out beside her on the bed leaning back slightly and crossing her legs. The movement caused Gold's already quite revealing jacket to hike up another inch or so leaving very little of her legs hidden from his hungry eyes.

As he stood there before her, he turned on some music for him to dance to and she looked at him, a wide sultry smile gracing her delicate lips. Slowly, he began to undo the buttons of his waistcoat, his eyes not leaving hers for a second as his hands did their work.

Next, as he danced for her, he undid his tie. In tune to the music he sashayed over to her and draped his tie around her neck. As he did so, he let his hands linger for a moment and brush up against the side of her face. Gooseflesh rose to her skin at his touch and she inhaled sharply. Gold heard it and saw the look in her eyes and chuckled slightly and smirked at her.

He then moved on to his silk dress shirt. Undoing each button torturously slowly he danced for her and by the time he shrugged out of the shirt, letting it fall to the floor behind him, Emma was practically salivating. Her eyes raked over his body and she licked her lips, biting down on her lower lip as she watched him.

After discarding his shirt he danced his way over to her again, rolling his body expertly. It was so much better up close and personal than it had been when she'd watched him up on stage all those nights ago. From this vantage point she could see the muscles of his lithe figure contract and relax as he danced. Miniscule beads of sweat made his body glisten before her and she longed to reach out and touch him, to feel those muscles move under her hands and over her body.

At this point she couldn't wait any longer and she reached out and grabbed him by his belt buckle and pulled him towards her. She made short work of his belt and removed it in one swift pull, tossing it to the side of the room. Before he made to remove his remaining clothing, he placed his hands atop of hers where they rested on the bed beside her. Leaning in, he chastely kissed her on the lips.

Then, he moved his hands to her shoulders and began to slide his jacket off her shoulders. She hastened to assist him in his endeavors, just as eager as he was to move things along. And then she was completely bared to him and for a moment he had to remind him self to breathe.

She was actually breathtaking. Never before in his centuries of living had he ever been so affected by the sight of a woman. And when she reached forward again to undo his pants, he did not hesitate to let her.

* * *

When Gold awoke the next morning, it was to the scent of Emma's shampoo. Her head was resting on his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around her body, one resting on her hip, the other around her shoulder. One of her legs was resting in-between his own.

He inhaled her scent, relishing the smell of it, before placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. Emma nuzzled into him as he did it, a soft moan escaping her lips as she woke.

"Morning," she said.

"Good morning, dearie."

"I gotta tell you, Gold, if it is going to end up being a long time before we see each other again, that sure as hell should hold me over until then."

"I'm glad to hear it, though I don't intend on it being another four months." _More like six years_, he thought morosely.

"Good." And she nuzzled into him further.

As he held her against him, he couldn't stand to think about how his time in Boston was quickly running out. He was only allowed six months out of Storybrooke and four whole months had already gone by. Never in a million years would he have thought he would've wanted to stay past those six months.

But Emma had this odd effect on him and he couldn't help himself but to want more of her; more than just that one night of passion, more than just a few passing months of a relationship. If was folly and he knew it, but he wanted it anyway, couldn't help but imagine a life with this woman.

And for that reason, he knew he had no other choice but to leave Boston the moment Emma left his apartment. There was nothing else he could do but break ties with her, quick as ripping off a band-aid. But he thought it wouldn't be fair for him to stick around and get even closer to her. Not fair for him and not for her either.

It really was best that he return to Maine as quickly as possible…at least that's what he kept telling himself. He repeated it in his head like a mantra, "it's what's best for both of us". As many times as he did it, however, he still didn't believe it. He could not, within the deepest depths of his heart, believe that letting the potential of this relationship die was the best thing to do. He couldn't help but think that they both in reality deserved the kind of relationship theirs had the potential to be.

In the end though, he did it anyway, knowing it would be better to leave now than wait until the last minute. He tried not to think about what would go through Emma's head when she realized he had left town without a trace. If he thought about it too much, he would never be able to leave. But he had to; he just had to.

So after the two of them got up and Gold made Emma some breakfast, Emma headed home, after changing into the spare clothes she'd brought and left in her car, to do whatever it was she had going on that day and Gold packed up all the belongings he'd taken with him, quit his job at the club and headed back to Boston. When he arrived back at his home, he poured himself a very large whisky and passed out on his couch, hating himself for doing what he did.

* * *

A/N: Oh no, Gold went back to Storybrooke. Hmm I wonder how Emma will take it...but more importantly, I wonder what she'll do when she meets up with him again in Storybrooke...

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've got one last bit that I really want to write and once that's been done, I'll see if I want to do more with this/if people want to see more of it. Leave reviews and let me know what you think so far :)


	6. Chapter 6

A few days after her night with Gold, Emma tried to call him to get together again. This time she had wanted a real date, like with dinner and everyone keeping their clothes on for the majority of the evening. But when she called the number she had for him, it said the number had been disconnected.

When that had failed she'd stopped by his place but there was no answer. She knocked for a few minutes before going to the landlord only to be told he had apparently moved out the morning after their night of passion.

As a last resort she even dropped in at the club later that night but he wasn't there either. She had talked to the bartender who had served her the other night and he told her he had quit. Again it had apparently been the morning she'd left his apartment. It was all really fishy in her opinion.

She didn't want to admit it but she was pretty hurt about the whole thing, not to mention a bit confused. Hell, she couldn't have been so bad in bed that he had to fucking flee from her. That was not possible. That night was the best sex she'd ever had and there was just no way it had been one-sided enjoyment. He had enjoyed him self every bit as much as she did and she knew it.

But still it was odd that he apparently fell off the edge of the earth without a trace. And as the days and weeks passed she just got pissed at him. She wasn't even sad about him disappearing like he did, she was just angry and for a number of reasons.

Emma knew there hadn't really been any expectations as far as what the two of them had been doing but still regardless of that him disappearing so suddenly was not something she would've ever expected. And just because there wasn't any discussion of what either of them wanted out this whole thing didn't mean she didn't want anything more than just one night together.

She had really liked him and for the first time since her stint in jail and having her first kid, she could genuinely picture herself in a relationship with him. They just complimented each other so well both in behavior and looks to be honest. The two of them made a pretty good-looking couple even though he was certainly a few years her senior. And the more she thought on the missed opportunity of them being together, the angrier she got.

It got to the point that she tried using her resources and connections through the Boston PD to try and find him. Unfortunately for her all her searches yielded no results whatsoever. It was as though he didn't exist. No Jay Gold appeared anywhere she looked. There were no addresses that came up with his name on it, no filings for any business he had ever owned, nothing, nothing at all. Not in Maine or anywhere else for that matter. He was a ghost and eventually she gave up trying to find him.

The anger never dissipated though. It always rattled her bones that he just up and left without even saying goodbye or anything to her. Given the fact that she had told him that night at the bar that the thing she looked for in guys was reliability, it really peeved her that he took off like that. If she ever did see him again though, one thing was for certain; it would not be a pleasant reunion.

* * *

As the years passed in quaint little Storybrooke, Gold never for a moment forgot about his brief stay in Boston and his time with Emma Swan. He also never forgave himself for the way he left Emma without saying goodbye. And on top of it all, he really missed her. For the first time since losing his son, he missed someone. It was an entirely foreign feeling and he didn't enjoy the way it invaded his body.

Every passing day he both eagerly awaited the day he'd see her again and vehemently dreaded it. Without a doubt she would no longer harbor any positive feelings for him and could even possibly be very pissed at him, and rightfully so. If the situation had been reversed he would've been irate. He supposed it all boiled down to how she had felt about him.

If she had enjoyed his company yet not wanted more than a one-night stand, she might not be angry at all. If she, like him, had wanted more then it was likely she would have felt hurt and confused, which likely would've turned to anger eventually.

He wished so badly that he could've called her or left her some sort of note to explain himself. The more he thought about it, which he did exceedingly often, the more he thought it really had been a bad idea to go to Boston to keep an eye on her. Neither party was better off for his interference and he couldn't stand it.

That being said of course, he wouldn't trade that night he'd spent with Emma for anything in the world, save for the opportunity to see his son again. It truly had been a wondrous evening. And it wasn't even just because the sex had been amazing. He would have been content spending the entire evening with her and waking up to the scent of her hair.

He could still remember how it had smelt and how soft it had been as her head had rested on his bare chest that morning. That was a feeling he never wanted to forget. It truly was a shame that he'd gotten himself into this whole mess. Any thoughts at rekindling what they'd started in Boston flew right out the window when he'd decided to uproot himself without a word in parting to her.

As time went by, he made do. He kept himself busy and tried not to dwell on the past. Dwelling on the past was sort of what had led him to be in the situation of being cursed in the first place. Though thoughts and memories of Emma or his son were certainly worth the pain it caused him to drudge up those old memories.

In Emma's absence he had grown quite close to Henry, much to Regina's chagrin. Many afternoons after Henry got out of school he would visit Gold's shop. Each day young Henry would pick out a different trinket and ask Mr. Gold to share its history with him. And Mr. Gold obliged every time.

Those moments were the favorite part of his days. Being around Henry allowed him to feel like he was in someway with Emma, just by being with a little piece of her. And it made him feel like he was making it up to her somehow by watching out for her son and making sure he had a good relationship with some adult figure since he wasn't getting that with Regina.

And every time Henry visited he would ask about that old storybook but for many years Gold refused to let him see it. He knew he would have to let him see it eventually so he would be able to figure out the truth about the town. Little Henry had already begun to notice something off about the town. He was a quick one, just like his mother.

And not many months before his mother would supposedly arrive, per his prophecy anyway, he finally allowed Henry to see the book. In fact, he had given it to him as a gift. It had been meant for the boy all along anyway, it was just a matter of when would be the right to give it to him.

However, as close as he and Henry had become, the boy never came to him with questions about the stories in the book. Perhaps he had already figured out who he was and was afraid of him. Whatever the case, the boy had done exactly as he had suspected he would and had gone after his mother in Boston.

From what Mr. Gold had gathered while having a bite to eat at Granny's, a blond woman had arrived in town the previous evening and wound up in jail for the night. Apparently it was all on some technicality and none other than her very own mother had bailed her out the very next morning, though of course she didn't know that little detail.

When he had seen her walking into Granny's Inn that night, he couldn't help but follow behind her. Had he really put much thought into it, he should've waited to make himself known to her more privately. He should've suspected that their reunion would not quite be something he would want other townsfolk to be privy to. But alas, reason had fled his weary mind the moment he set eyes on the blonde beauty. Besides, he did have to collect rent from the Inn anyways.

"Name?" Granny was asking Emma when he walked in.

"Swan, Emma Swan," she answered smoothly. She was standing in the lobby with a few bags and Mr. Gold wondered if perhaps she wasn't alone. The thought tore at his heart, automatically assuming that if she wasn't alone she was with a significant other.

But he didn't let that deter him from speaking up. "Emma. What a lovely name," he commented, trying not to smirk at how fast she spun around, no doubt recognizing his voice even after it being six years since she'd last heard it. He didn't want her to think he found the situation amusing, even though a tiny part of him did.

"Thanks," she nearly snarled.

Her eyes were wide with surprise and a fire burned within them, unfortunately not the kind of fire he'd seen in them once before. This fire was something different, an inferno of rage. She may be keeping calm and composed in front of these strangers to her but he knew the moment she found him alone her wrath would be upon him; he wasn't looking forward to that.

After Granny handed him the wad of cash for rent he looked back at Emma.

"Enjoy your stay…Emma," he said in his deliciously accented voice. Despite herself, Emma couldn't help but conjure up the memory of the last time she had heard him say her name. If she recalled correctly, it had been panted out in the throes of passion.

She just stared blankly after him, trying not to betray any of her anger in front of the two women who owned the Inn. Then without another word he turned to leave, but not before someone had burst into the lobby from the adjacent room shouting excitedly.

"Mom! There's a Pac-Man machine in there! Can I have a quarter to go play? Please?!"

Mr. Gold was struck dumb by the presence of the child calling Emma 'mom'. She had her mother's beautiful blonde hair, and her deep dark brown eyes, much like his. Mostly she looked a lot like Emma but he could see himself in the girl too, particularly when looking at her nose, it was his through and through, there was no doubt about it. Her lips were his as well.

"Yeah, sure, why not, kid," she said as she bent down to get eye level with the young girl who Gold estimated by look and his own mental math to be about five years old. Emma looked pointedly anywhere but in Gold's direction, as he still stood there paralyzed by the sight of the girl and the realization that came with her. She fumbled in her pocket for a moment before pulling out one shiny quarter and handing it to the girl who in turn ran off to go play the arcade game.

Realizing he was still standing in the lobby and Ruby and Granny were beginning to look at him in a very peculiar way, he hastily turned to exit the Inn, barely fighting the impulse to ask all the questions that had come rushing to his head at the sight of that little girl.

Emma watched him go, an almost smug look on her face as she saw the dumbstruck look he was sporting.

_Yeah that's right asshole, look what you did and left behind!_

"Oh, hey," Emma began turning back to the older woman. "I, uh, forgot something in my car. Do you mind just keeping an eye on her for a second while I run out to get it?" She asked tentatively.

Ruby chimed in first. "No problem. I haven't played Pac-Man in a while, I think I might join her."

"Thank you so much," Emma said and rushed out the door.

Emma power-walked after Gold with as much purpose as she could ever remember having. When she was close enough for him to hear her she shouted after him."

"Hey!"

Gold slowed and turned. Emma was coming up on him fast a look of pure fury in her features and even though he saw it coming, he still wasn't prepared for it.

Her hand flew out from her body and made contact with his face, hard. The sting of her slap was excruciating. It was the sort of slap that would leave a mark.

He reeled back from the impact and instinctively rubbed his hand against the tender spot she had hit. He also took a moment to feel his lip fearing it might be bleeding. She had hit him quite hard so it wasn't totally out of the realm of possibility.

"Emma…" Gold began, ready to make some sort of apology even though he knew it could never be enough, not after what he had seen a moment ago.

"No, don't you dare 'Emma' me!" She threatened shaking her head at him. "I don't want to talk to you, I don't even want to look at you—I just had to do that. I've been waiting years to give you what you deserved and that was only part of it!"

"Please…" he tried again.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR FUCKING PLEASES YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU CAN'T JUST FUCKING DISAPEAR FROM MY LIFE FOR SIX YEARS AND TRY TO FIX IT ALL WITH A GODDAMN 'PLEASE'!"

"I'm sorry—" he started up once more.

"You damn well should be, but that's not going to do it either. We're done here—I'm done with you," she interrupted and then turned to walk away from him and return to the Inn.

"Just one question. Please," he called after her.

"What?!" She spat.

"The girl…is she mine?" He was sure she was but still, he had to hear it from her. He had to know for sure. He had to hear it from her.

"Jesus Christ, really? You have to ask that? As if she doesn't look just like you, a constant reminder. Yes, Jay," she spat his name, "she's yours. She's your daughter, a daughter that you left behind, a daughter you left me alone to raise. I sure as hell hope it was all worth you leaving like you did, 'cause that little girl in there is—she's amazing and it had better have been something good for you to leave her behind."

"I didn't know—" he began.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I tried to get in touch with you to let you know, to find you. You fucking disappeared," she said shrugging her shoulders and holding out her arms.

"I—"

"I don't care!" Emma interrupted. "You got the answer to your one question and that's that. We're finished here. I've got to get back to my kid," and once again she turned to head back to the Inn.

"Please, one more, her name, what's her name?" He asked in the most pleading tone she'd ever heard from a grown man. "What's my daughter's name?"

Without looking back at him she turned her head slightly to the side, catching the slightest glimpse of him in her peripheral vision. "Alayna, her name is Alayna. Alayna Swan."

* * *

A/N: That's it for this story, though there very well be a sequel later, but I won't be getting around to that too soon, got a lot going on right now. Hope you all liked it :D


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